


Fairy Tales

by szm



Series: Daredevil Kink Meme [11]
Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-04-17 07:18:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4657548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/szm/pseuds/szm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the prompt <a href="http://daredevilkink.dreamwidth.org/4501.html?thread=8261781#cmt8261781">here</a></p><p>The terrible dragon Frank bewitched and kidnapped the fair and innocent Princess Matthew. The brave knight Sir Foggy saved the Princess and brought him home. </p><p>And that’s true. Technically.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Matt Murdock was technically a Princess. Now I know what you’re thinking. Matt Murdock shouldn’t be a Princess, this is true. Technically.

Frank of the Castle is a Dragon. The Dragon. The one that all the citizens fear. Because he doesn’t stay up in the mountains and hills, stealing the odd sheep, Frank came down to the lowlands, chased a King out of his castle and took a whole kingdom for his own. Frank is the scourge of the nine kingdoms (there used to be ten, before Frank). This is all true. Technically.

Foggy Nelson is a knight. See he has the armour and the sword and the horse and everything. He’s a knight and he wants to stay one. The best way to get a reputation as a knight is to defeat a Dragon. Foggy needs a reputation fast so he needs to defeat the biggest, scariest Dragon in the land. Good plan right? Well… technically.

**

How about I start the story by telling you how Frank of the West Mountain became Frank of the Castle, destroyer of the tenth kingdom and scourge of the other nine. It’s a sad tale, one that started decades before Matt or Foggy were even born. 

There are many dragons that live in the mountains. Mostly they stay out of the way of the humans, and the humans stay out of the mountains, because no-one likes being burnt alive because they trespassed on a dragon’s territory. Besides there is nothing to interest a human up in those cold and desolate peaks. The closest kingdom to the mountains was the tenth kingdom. The Kingdom of Mob. The King there discovered the West Mountain contained many riches, seams of gold that could be mined. He sent a party of advisors and knights up to the mountain to ask the dragon of that mountain, Frank, if he would allow them to mine it.

Frank said no, because he had a family, a wife with two new hatchlings. They wouldn’t be safe with so many humans wandering Frank’s mountain. The advisors went back to the king and told him that the dragon had said no.

The king was an arrogant and greedy man. It burned him to know that the dragon was sitting on all that gold. Gold that would make his kingdom the richest of them all. After a few years, and many failed negotiations with Frank, the King gathered his best knights and led an attack on the West Mountain. The bulk of the army engaged with Frank, there were many casualties and Frank was badly wounded. But he was ultimately victorious. He flew back to his lair to discover the King has sent a smaller second force. Frank’s wife Maria had fought bravely but to no avail. She, and their two children, had been killed. 

Frank howled with grief and rage. The terrible sound carried across the ten kingdoms, even as far as the Kingdom of Nelson. 

Mining started almost immediately while Frank hibernated, recovering from his physical wounds while his grief and rage festered and poisoned his heart. The King assumed Frank had crawled away to die. When he awoke three years later he killed every human on the mountain, and laid waste to the mines. He spread his wings wide and took to the air. He did what no other dragon had dared to do, he attacked a human kingdom. He burnt it to the ground. The King, and almost everyone in the kingdom were killed by flame and claw. Frank curled up in the castle surrounded by the smell of burning flesh and roared again, the sound of rage and death terrified the other kingdoms. They sent their best knights, mercenaries, wizards to kill the dragon before he did to them what he had done to Mob. But Frank killed them all. Once it became clear that Frank had no desire to leave the castle, the other kingdoms decided to leave him alone. The closest kingdoms of Fisk and Murdock set up watches in case the great dragon stirred again, but otherwise they left the tenth kingdom and the dragon who ruled it to its own devices. 

**

Perhaps now I should explain about Princesses. 

Within the ten kingdoms, a Prince is the first born child of the King, male or female, and is the one who will become King on the present King’s death. A Princess is any child born after. 

Traditionally Princes are taught to fight, and hunt, and rule. The oldest Princesses are taught the laws of the kingdoms, diplomacy, and the arts. Younger Princesses are taught how to look pretty at court. These traditions are only strictly held in the three central kingdoms of Langham, Zach, and Owlsley. The general pattern is followed elsewhere but the education of most Princes and Princesses is more balanced.

King Jack of the kingdom of Murdock has only one child. Matthew. Which means that Matthew is a Prince. He was raised as one, learning how to fight from a royal instructor called Stick. A blind knight with many bold deeds to his name, but to be honest even his friends would say he was a bit of a dick. If he’d had any friends that is. 

So Matt is a Prince. Or at least he was. A wizard was transporting potions across the kingdom. The young Prince was out hunting on foot when the cart containing the potions came free of it attachment to the horse. The cart barrelled down a steep bank towards an old man collecting fire wood. Matt ran as fast as he could to push the man out of the way. He was hit by the cart and the potions spilt on his face. The man was saved. Prince Matt was blinded. The wizard wrung his hands and apologised, but there was nothing to be done. It had been a combination of potions that had landed on the Prince and no-one knew how it could be reversed.

Murdock was a small kingdom, left alone because it didn’t really have anything to take, and because it had the reputation of having the best fighters in the nine kingdoms. Small but scrappy, and King Jack didn’t really much care for the rule that permanently injured Princes became ineligible for the throne. Matt was his only child, the king wasn’t interested in remarrying, so Matt would forever be his only child, a Prince not a Princess. Besides, Jack’s best knight was blind; it was clearly not barrier to being a fighter why would it be a barrier to being a King. Not to mention the potions had increased his son’s other senses. Prince Matt was a better fighter than ever. Unfortunately the other kingdoms did not agree. Langham and Zach sent out a diplomatic party every year to convince King Jack to remarry and produce a child who would be able to claim the title of Prince. They warned that should anything happen to Jack that they would not be able to support Matt as King. Neither would the kingdoms of Owlsley and Stahl. 

King Jack refused to back down, and one day not long after Matt’s 15th birthday the King was killed.

No-one claimed responsibility, although Stick blamed the Kingdom of Hand. But then he blamed Hand for everything, including the bad harvest of the year before. Matt was the choice of the people to be King but the other kingdoms threatened war. Langham, Zach, and Owlsley refused to allow the law to be changed. Stahl and Hand stood with them. Ulric stood with Matt but that kingdom was tiny, if wealthy, and couldn’t stand against the combined force of the others. Nelson was too far away to send aid so declined to take a side.

The Kingdom of Fisk had a solution, their Prince Wilson would temporarily rule Murdock until _Princess_ Matt’s claim could be recognised. The other Kingdoms agreed and Prince Wilson and his younger brother Princess Wesley moved into the castle.

Matt hated them. They talked about all the changes that needed to be made to Murdock to make it a ‘great kingdom’. But it was Matt’s home, and home to thousands of other people. Wilson and Wesel y didn’t seem to care what anybody else wanted. They had a plan in mind and to hell with anyone else. Matt fought them in court as much as he could. He was only 15 but his father had been widely respected and admired. Matt found he could convince the court to block most of what the Fisk’s were suggesting. 

“Princess Matt,” drawled Wesley. He was waiting outside Matt’s room one night. He made Matt’s skin crawl. “It’s Princess Wesley.”

“I can tell who you are,” said Matt through gritted teeth.

“Ah, I wasn’t sure. With your… impairment,” said Wesley. Even though he’d seen what Matt was capable of in training. Stick had never gone easy on him just because he was newly blind, or young, or grieving. These days Matt was very glad of that. Stick had disappeared not long after the King had died. Leaving Matt playing games in court, like an actual Princess, and hating every minute of it.

“I came to give you a piece of advice,” said Wesley carefully. “You should play your part better _Princess_.”

“Really?” asked Matt squaring up for a fight. “Or what?”

“Or someone may remove you from the board, as they did your Father. The laws are absolute, King Jack died without an heir. So this land is up for claiming. My brother intends to claim it. As a Princess you are entitled to be a part of the new order. In fact we welcome you. But you will not stop it Princess. You simply don’t have the power.” Wesley voice was light and pleasant, at odds with what he was saying.

“Are you threating me?” asked Matt harshly. 

“I don’t need to, I have people for that. Sleep well, Princess,” said Wesley as he left.

Matt waited until Wesley was gone before going into his rooms. He’d barely finished packing essentials into a bag before he sensed someone climbing in the window. The man was bigger than Matt, certainly stronger, and carrying a wicked knife. But he hadn’t spent the majority of his life being trained by Stick, Matt took him down fairly quickly, leaving the assassin unconscious on the floor of his bedroom and taking the knife. There were others on their way. Matt could hear unfamiliar heartbeats making their way up the tower. He climbed out of the window and down to the stables. He stole a horse. Riding out of the castle to the sounds of shouts behind him, and hoof beats following him into the forest. 

Matt didn’t have anywhere to go, but he kept riding, pushing the horse further and faster. Until he came to the walls of the tenth kingdom. Mob. Stronghold of Frank of the Castle. Matt couldn’t go back. And no-one had seen so much as a scale of the dragon for more than fifty years. Matt didn’t have a choice. He let the horse go, hoping his pursuers’ would chase it, and he climbed over the wall.

**

Ten years passed. The legend became that the dragon had somehow bewitched the fair Princess Matthew and lured him into its lair. (Princess Wesley was a very good storyteller.) This in turn lead to rash young knights trying to make a name for themselves storming the tenth kingdom to free the fair damsel in distress and defeat the dragon. Sometimes these brave but foolish warriors would come back bruised and broken with stories of the terrible monsters that lived with the dragon on the other side of the wall. Devils and demons that could overcome even the bravest and most skilled knight. Some didn’t come back at all.

Foggy was a knight. Well. He had armour (that didn’t fit him very well), and a sword (although only the most basic idea of how to use it), and a horse (that he couldn’t ride because the horrible beast terrified him). All he needed was a couple of really good stories. It seemed to Foggy that about 90% of being a knight was telling a good tale, and Foggy had always been good at that. So defeat a few monsters, maybe save a princess or two, get accepted as a knight by the knights council and he would _be_ a knight. Then there would be nothing that anyone could do about it. Not even his parents. Then Foggy would be free. But he was on a time limit. His family would be looking for him, he knew that they worried, but he had to do this. So he needed big stories, really quickly. There was only one place in the ten kingdoms he could think to get them.

Which is how he had ended up here. Here, being hanging upside down from the wall outside the tenth kingdom. Climbing in the ill-fitting armour had been difficult and his foot had caught in the ivy on the other side, he slipped and now he was hanging upside down with no way out. He’d dropped his sword too. Not to best start to his knightly career, true. He just figured he’d leave this part out of the saga.

Foggy panicked at first, but no amount of thrashing seemed to loosen his bonds so Foggy had decided to be Zen about it for now. Something was bound to turn up eventually, right? Besides he had a great, if upside down, view from here. The whole of the tenth kingdom spread out before him. Ruined and crumbling. Foggy felt bad for all the people who had died, but honestly he thought it was beautiful. The buildings were mostly built from some kind of reddish brown brick and now with the sun setting they caught the light and reflected the red tones even more. The castle in the middle was built from some kind of black stone, it seemed to squat on the horizon like a giant spider waiting for its prey. Foggy felt a bit like a fly caught in a web hanging 20ft in the air like this. In that castle (according to the stories, and Foggy knew all the stories) lay the sleeping dragon, huge and scaly, with wings like a bat and teeth like razors. A terrible monster who lured the innocent Princess Matthew to his doom all those years ago. 

Nothing that exciting ever happened at home.

Foggy took a deep breath and tried to twist upwards so he could look at how his ankle was caught. 

“Damn it! Who the hell are you? Get out of here!” shouted a voice from below him. Foggy looked down and saw a man in a hooded cape glaring up at him.

“I’d love too,” shouted Foggy. “But I’m a bit stuck, just for the moment.”

The man sighed heavily. “You a knight?”

“Yes!” said Foggy happily. “Sir Foggy, at your service. I didn’t think there were any people this side of the wall.”

“Who said I’m a person?” asked the man. He grinned and Foggy could make out the white of his teeth against the rapidly encroaching dark.”

“You don’t look like much of a monster,” replied Foggy

“You don’t look like much of a knight,” replied the man. Foggy spluttered but the man kept on talking. “I think you might be a problem for Matty.” 

He turned to leave, as he turned his hood fell backwards. He had thick curly black hair, and down the back of his neck what looked like shiny scales. Foggy held his breath but the man (?) just kept on walking away. Foggy didn’t know what he’d just seen. If the man had been some kind of monster, why hadn’t he just killed Foggy and been done with it? 

A few hours later another man appeared. This one was younger, about Foggy’s age. He wore a cape without the hood and had a piece of cloth tied around his eyes. He stopped underneath Foggy but didn’t look up. “My friend said you were a knight?”

“Yes, I have a sword… but I dropped it somewhere. Can you see it anywhere?” asked Foggy.

“Nope,” said the man sounding very amused. “I’m blind.”

“Oh, sorry,” said Foggy with a wince. “I… I’ve been hanging upside down for a while now, I feel a bit weird to be honest.”

“I can probably find it for you,” said the man with a shrug. “But would you like to get down first?”

“Yes,” said Foggy. 

The man took a few steps back and sort of… ran up the wall, climbing as he went. He was level with Foggy in no time. He smirked in Foggy’s general direction. “Hello,” he said. “Come here often?”

“Oh you know,” replied Foggy. “Just hanging around.” The man giggled. “How did you do that?”

The man shrugged. “I was blinded by magic, it had some other effects on the rest of my senses. Where are you stuck?”

“My ankle,” said Foggy pointing. “Sorry, I pointed, that was probably rude.”

The man laughed again and it was probably the blood rushing to Foggy’s head but he thought the man had a nice laugh. He ran a hand over Foggy’s lower leg and ankle. 

“Hmm, I think you might have sprained your ankle too.” He pulled a wicked looking knife out of his boot. “Hang on to me,” said the man, wrapping Foggy’s arm round his waist, Foggy had to turn his head to the side to prevent squishing his face into the man’s thigh. “We wouldn’t want you to fall; it’s a long way down.” The man cut the vines and Foggy nearly fell anyway, clinging to the man and a handful of other vines just about saved him. Between them, they managed to get Foggy the right way up and back on the ground, his ankle was definitely _something_ it was swollen and it hurt if Foggy tried to put weight on it. 

The man swung Foggy’s arm over his shoulder. “Here lean on me,” he said.

“Thanks,” said Foggy. “And for getting me down. So do you have a name or..?”

The man laughed. “I’m Matty.”

“I’m Foggy, honoured to make your acquaintance,” said Foggy, giving as much of a little bow as he could. 

“That was very formal,” teased Matty, heading Foggy away from the wall. “There’s a little village not far from here. I have a friend there who’s a healer. She’ll look you over.”

“I didn’t know there were people here,” said Foggy, doing his best not to lean on Matty too much.

“Refugees,” said Matty. “Most of us got kicked out of Murdock or Fisk. Taxes keep on going up, people have no choice but to pay up, go to jail, or risk the dragon.”

“He’s asleep right?” asked Foggy. “Up at the castle with the Princess?”

“Is that why you came? To rescue the poor, helpless, Princess?” asked Matty, suddenly sounding disappointed and a bit angry.

“Why else would a knight come here?” asked Foggy bristling, what, he wasn’t _good enough_ to rescue a Princess?

“You are really not a knight,” said Matty with a chuckle.

“Excuse you,” said Foggy pulling away. “I am. I have armour, a sword, a stupid horse…”

“Where’s the horse?” asked Matty holding in laughter as Foggy limped away slowly.

“The other side of the wall,” said Foggy. “She was a worse climber than even me. And my sword is back there somewhere, and…” he stopped and rubbed traitorous tears out of his eyes. “And my armour is too big and… I need to be a knight. Because if I can’t do this I’ll have to go home and be a…” he stopped himself and glanced at Matty. “Butcher.”

Matt jogged up catch him up. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re a knight. The armour’s not that bad. And we can go find the sword tomorrow. Let’s just get you to Claire. Okay?”

Foggy nodded and accepted Matt’s help to get the rest of the way to the village.

**

Claire was wonderful. She helped Foggy out of the blasted armour. Cool fingertips checked out Foggy’s ankle and she had an even more wonderful tea that made the pain go away.

“You should keep off it for a few days, do you have anyone you can stay with?” she asked him.

“No,” said Foggy shaking his head.

“He can stay with me,” said Matty. 

Matty was wonderful too. Foggy was very glad he came here. None of the knight’s stories had mentioned the lovely and pretty people. Foggy really hoped they weren’t devils in disguise. Matty was giggling again. Foggy really loved that sound it was beautiful.

“You’re talking out loud,” said Claire kindly, kicking Matty in the shin. “I may have brewed your tea a little too long. We’re not devils. And you should know better than to listen to knight’s stories. As a group they are prone to over exaggeration.”

Matty snorted. “You mean outright lying.”

“I tell Karen you said that,” said Claire smirking. “Go on, get out of my hut.”

Foggy let Matty lead him out of the hut and away from the village. He frowned. “We’re leaving the village?”

“My friend and I are camping just outside,” explained Matty. “We’re hunters.”

“Oh,” said Foggy, he was cold, he wished Matty was holding him again, like when his ankle hurt.

Matty wrapped an arm around Foggy’s waist. “There you go,” he said with a smile. “You probably shouldn’t be putting too much weight on that ankle anyway.”

“I was talking out loud again,” sighed Foggy, leaning into the other man. 

“Yep,” said Matty. Foggy poked the other man in the side as they walked. “Erm… ow?”

“I’m trying to get you to laugh,” huffed Foggy. “It’s pretty; it sounds like waves on the shore.”

“Wow, you’re poetic when you’re stoned,” said Matty.

“I took lessons in poetry,” said Foggy proudly.

“Hmm-mm. So, you’ve been by the sea?” asked Matty.

“I’m from Nelson, right by the sea. I built a boat when I was a kid, but they wouldn’t let me take it out. I tried to sneak onto a fishing boat. But the royal guard found me.” Foggy said sadly.

“Nelson, that’s a really long way away,” said Matty helping Foggy over a log, they were pretty deep into the forest now.

“Had to come a long way,” said Foggy. “So no-one knew me and I could be a knight. Wow, it’s gone really dark.”

“Sorry,” said Matty. “I didn’t think to bring a lamp, I don’t generally need one. But we’re nearly there now, you should be able to see the fire soon.”

They entered a clearing with a fire in the centre, there were some bags strung up in the trees and a bedroll lay out by the fire. “There’s no tents,” said Foggy.

“Nope, just stay there, while I find out the other bedroll, okay?” said Matty, letting him go and heading over to one of the bags. 

Foggy felt himself wobble as Matty let go but he managed to stay upright. “I thought you were staying here with your friend.”

“I am,” said Matty, pulling a something out of the bag. “He’s out checking traps. About 500 yards east.”

“How do you know that?” asked Foggy, Matty was laying a second bedroll by the fire. 

“I can hear his heartbeat,” said Matty like it was a normal thing.

“From 500 yards away, that’s a bit creepy,” frowned Foggy.

“I know him really well, and his heartbeat is kind of distinctive.”

“Can you hear mine?” asked Foggy. 

“Time for bed, Foggy Nelson,” said Matty cheerfully. He reached up and tugged Foggy’s hand until Foggy sat on the bedroll. “Do you need tucking in?”

Matty was smirking at him, and it suddenly made Foggy cross. “No. I’m not a child. I’d ask you the same, but I guess your _friend_ is doing that for you, yeah? As there’s three of us and only two bedrolls?”

Matty blushed, the low light of the fire made it really pretty. 

“Talking out loud again, Foggy,” said Matty moving away. Foggy lay down and almost straight away fell asleep.

**

Matty gave it a few minutes until Foggy’s breathing evened out, signalling he was in deep sleep.

“You can come out now,” he said softly.

Frank came out from the tree line and glanced at Foggy.

“He’s asleep,” said Matty. “He had two cups of Claire’s special tea. I surprised I didn’t have to carry him.”

“Why is he here?” asked Frank gruffly. He pulled off his cape, if Foggy was awake now he’d be able to see the small horns on Franks head, the scales on the back of his neck that ran down to his lower back and the bat-like wings furled up against his back. Not many people knew that a dragon could take a human-like form. There were old stories that no-one believed anymore. Frank was the only dragon to come down from the mountains ever, and he hadn’t been outside this one kingdom in over 70 years. 

“He’s hurt,” said Matty. “What was I going to do, let him wander round in that ridiculous armour and get himself killed?”

“He’s a knight,” Frank reminded him. “He wants to kill me.” He sat next to Matt on their bedroll.

“He’s not a knight, and he doesn’t want to kill anyone, he’s running away from something,” said Matt leaning into the other man’s warmth. Frank always ran a few degrees hotter than anyone else.

“Why do I put up with you?” asked Frank, resting his chin on the top of Matty’s head. “I was fine chasing people off, killing the annoying ones. Then you turn up and five minutes later there’s a refugee camp on my doorstep.”

Matty grinned. “I’ve been here 10 years, and the first two of those you wouldn’t even come out of the creepy castle.”

“Like I said, five minutes,” argued Frank. In human form Frank only looked a few years older than Foggy and Matt, but he said he was pushing 200.

They settled down in the bed roll to sleep. “I like him,” said Matty sleepily. “He’s sweet.”

“I promise not to eat him unless he gets really irritating,” said Frank. “Now get some sleep.”


	2. Chapter 2

Frank was making sure the fire was completely out when Foggy woke up. Frank re-checked his hood was in place. Matty might be convinced that this guy wasn’t going to try and kill him, but he’d admitted to being a knight and Frank didn’t feel like giving him a reason to attack. Matty would sulk for _days_ if Frank burned him to a crisp.

“Owww…” groaned Foggy. “Did the dragon stamp on my head while I was asleep?”

“No,” said Frank gruffly.

Foggy tried to sit up quickly at the sound of a strange voice, but his head must have complained about it, because he groaned again and dropped back onto the bedroll. “I’m just going to go ahead and hope you’re Matty’s friend and not some murderous bandit.”

“Who says I can’t be both?” asked Frank.

“Why do I feel like this?” asked Foggy pitifully.

“Too much of Claire’s tea,” said Frank. “I keep telling her she brews it too strong. Wait there.” Frank stalked off into the forest, without waiting for Foggy to reply. It didn’t take too long to find the right kind of tree. He looked around just to make sure Foggy hadn’t followed him, then he let his hands change enough so he had workable claws. He sliced off a piece of bark and let his hand smooth back out into a more human shape. He went back to the camp and poked Foggy with his foot.

“Leave me, I think I might be dead,” said Foggy.

“Chew this, it’ll help,” said Frank holding out the piece of bark. Frank started to pack up his and Matty’s bedroll. There were a few moments of blessed silence before Foggy spoke again.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

“Don’t worry about it, Claire’s tea floors most people. Matty’s hilarious whenever he has to have some,” said Frank.

“No, I mean, thanks for the bark as well but thanks for going and telling Matty where I was. I don’t know how long I would have been stuck on that wall if you hadn’t,” said Foggy. He had an arm draped over his eyes, probably trying to cut the light out.

“Just try and keep still for a little while, and keep chewing that bark. It’ll help,” said Frank not really knowing what else to say.

It was almost half an hour before Foggy sat up gingerly and started talking again. “So where’s Matty?”

“He went down to the river to do some washing and refill the water bottles,” said Frank, he was lying against a rock enjoying the sunshine.

“Huh,” said Foggy. “So do you have a name?”

Frank was enjoying the sunshine and half dozing with one eye on Foggy but not really thinking about much other than keeping an eye out in case of sudden movements. “Frank,” he answered.

“Huh,” said Foggy again. “Like the dragon.”

Warning bells went off in Franks head but it was too late to take it back. “Yeah, like the dragon.”

“Honoured to make your acquaintance,” said Foggy, it rolled off his tongue like something he’d learned by rote. “Were you a refugee too?” he asked.

“You could say that,” said Frank sitting up and fixing Foggy with a beady stare. “My family were killed.”

Foggy looked horrified. “Oh, I’m really sorry.”

“You didn’t do it,” said Frank simply.

“I can still be sorry,” said Foggy. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to my family. I fight with them a lot but…”

“I killed the ones who did,” said Frank honestly. “And it was a long time ago.”

“Oh,” said Foggy. 

They lapsed into silence again. Frank didn’t care what the boy thought. But the sun didn’t feel quite so warm any more. 

**

Foggy stayed with them the few days in took his ankle to heal. And then a few more weeks after that. He talked about going back to Claire’s to pick up his armour, or heading back to the wall to find his sword but he never made any real attempt to go that way. He was good company, Matty taught him how to lay simple traps and what plants had special uses. He picked things up pretty quickly, and he was a lot less clumsy than their first meeting would have suggested. It was mildly annoying for Frank that he had to keep his hood up all the time, and having use Matty’s knife to gut the fish they were going to cook for supper instead of claws. But Foggy was so proud to have caught them by himself that Frank found he didn’t mind that much.

However watching Matty try to light a fire was painful. “Listen why don’t you two go find some sorrel leaves for the fish?” said Frank. “I’ll sort the fire.”

“We’ve got some in the packs,” said Foggy.

“Erm… fresh is better,” said Matty quickly. “Come on, Foggy. We won’t be long.”

Frank waited until he was sure they were gone before blowing a gentle flame onto to wood. It caught easily and soon he had a good fire going.

Matty and Foggy came back with a handful of sorrel leaves each. Matty took over the cooking, leaving the sorrel off Franks fish.

“You don’t like sorrel?” asked Foggy, voice pleasant and level.

“Not much,” said Frank, thinking quickly. “But I know Matty does, so…”

“I can take it or leave it,” shrugged Matty and Frank really wanted to kick him.

“If that’s true,” said Foggy overly thoughtfully. “Then why was it so important that we go and get some more, when we already had some? I mean _I_ wasn’t that bothered…”

Matty froze like he realised how much he’d given away. “These are good fish, Foggy. You did well to catch them.”

Foggy blushed and ducked his head. “I had good teachers,” he said sounding pleased with himself. 

Matt smiled like he thought he’d gotten away with it. Frank supposed he couldn’t be blamed for missing the glance Foggy shot him. Frank really doubted this was over yet.

But the rest of the meal passed without incident, Matty and Foggy took the pan down to the river to clear it out, and Frank set up the bedrolls and banked the fire. When the other two came back the three of them sat by the fire. It was cold at night this close to the mountains. Foggy who grown up much further east still wasn’t used to it. He shivered wrapped in his own cape and Matty’s. Frank would have given him his too but then Foggy would see Frank’s horns and scales. He sat as close to the small man as he dared, hoping to share some body heat without giving away how much warmer his body temperature was than human. Matty sat the other side, pressed up against Foggy, he pulled Foggy’s hand between his own.

“I can’t believe how cold you get,” he said chuckling.

“I’m fine,” said Foggy with a grin. 

“Gonna tell us a story then?” said Matty. 

Foggy loved stories, he loved the old ones best. And he knew hundreds. He kept pestering them for stories too but Matty had never much been interested before, and the only ones Frank knew were old dragon songs. Foggy would love them, but they’d give his secret away pretty quickly. Then Foggy might remember that he was pretending to be a knight, and it would be all over. Frank had got used to Foggy being around, he wasn’t ready for it to be over yet. 

“I’m not sure if I know any more,” laughed Foggy. “I’ve told you all the ones I know from Nelson and Stahl. Where were you two from again?” asked Foggy innocently.

Danger! Thought Frank, but Matty was already talking. “I’m from Hell’s Kitchen,” he said.

“Hell’s Kitchen?” asked Foggy with a frown. 

“It’s what people from Murdock sometimes call it,” said Matty, resting his head on Foggy’s shoulder. “Or they did, I hear from Claire that Prince Wilson banned the term not long before she left.”

“Asshole,” muttered Frank, just to make Matty smile.

“How about you?” Foggy asked him.

“I’m from around,” said Frank, staring into the banked fire.

“Right,” said Foggy. He was fidgeting, he was nervous.

“You okay, Foggy?” asked Matty, maybe picking up on Foggy’s heartbeat?

“I know a story from Murdock,” said Foggy slowly. “But I think a lot of the details are wrong. You get that with stories sometimes. Especially by the time they’ve got all the way out to Nelson.”

Matty had gone tense. “Not that many stories come out of Murdock,” he said.

“But this is a good one,” said Foggy. “It used to be one of my favourites.”

“I’m pretty tired,” said Frank, hoping to postpone whatever this was. He wasn’t quite sure with humans, but this felt like a fight.

“No, let him tell it,” said Matty, sharp smile that Frank hadn’t seen since the one knight had run at Frank with that spear and Matty had broken the knight’s leg and both his arms.

“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful Princess called Matthew,” started Foggy. “And a terrible dragon called Frank.”

Frank felt his heart freeze, he didn’t know what was happening. Foggy wasn’t really a threat, not wrapped up in two capes and weaponless. Foggy wasn’t even a fighter, but Frank could feel his own heart beating faster and Matty look poised to fight or run.

“The beautiful Princess had been tragically blinded by a magic spell when he was very young,” continued Foggy staring at his own hands now clasped round his knees. “A side effect of the spell meant that the Princess could hear the terrible dragon’s song. The Princess was bewitched by the dragon…”

Frank snorted, dragons couldn’t even do that. Well they did sing, but there was no _bewitching_ of any kind.

“…and he ran away from home to his doom in the dragon’s lair. The ruins of an old kingdom the dragon had destroyed years ago. The boy’s father, the King, died from grief. Many have died trying to save the Princess, and he is still with the dragon, even now.”

There was silence for a long moment, like the whole forest was holding its breath.

“I saw scales on the back on Frank’s neck, back on the first day we met. And ‘Matty’ is short for Matthew. And you’re beautiful, and I can buy Frank as oddly if a bit terrifyingly bewitching so…”

“Prince,” said Matt blankly. “I was a Prince before the accident, I was nine, and it was potions not a spell. The other kingdoms wouldn’t let me be a Prince anymore because I was blind and said I had to be a Princess. Dad said no, so someone killed him. Prince Wilson tried to take over the kingdom. I was only 15, but I tried to stop him. He and his brother tried to have me killed and I ran away. I ended up here and met Frank. Not much of a story.”

“And dragons can’t bewitch anyone,” said Frank, feeling that it was an important point that shouldn’t be overlooked.

“You _knew_ ,” said Matt coldly. “All this time.”

“I suspected,” corrected Foggy. “I didn’t want… I don’t want to leave, so I ignored it.”

“Why would you have to leave?” asked Frank. He felt very lost right now. He liked Matt, and he liked Foggy. They were all safe here. By dragon logic there was no reason for anyone to leave. This must be some complicated human thing.

“My family are looking for me,” said Foggy sadly. “They will find me sooner or later. The plan was that I would be an established knight by then. That way they couldn’t drag me back home. But you can’t rescue a Princess who doesn’t need saving, or defeat a dragon who’s your friend.”

Frank felt strange at being called a friend. “No-one comes here, and they’d have to get past me if they did.”

Foggy laughed bitterly and Matty smirked again. “But they’re going to come. Because Foggy has to be a… butcher. Right Foggy?”

Foggy sighed. “There’s no need to be mean. Just ask me.”

“I don’t need to ask,” said Matt bitterly. “I can hear your heartbeat, I know when you’re lying.”

“I didn’t lie,” said Foggy hotly. “Apart from the butcher thing.”

“What is it now?” asked Frank, getting a headache from how confused he was. Stupid humans, always making very simple things complicated.

“Foggy grew up in Nelson,” explained Matty. “By the sea. I’ve never been there, but the castle is famously right on the clifftop, overlooking the sea. He tried to sneak on to a fishing boat but the _Royal Guard_ caught him. The Royal Guard probably don’t normally concern themselves with children on fishing boats. He studied poetry. And you’re way too polite.”

“Too polite,” scoffed Foggy.

“You say ‘honoured to make your acquaintance’ to everyone we introduce you to. You don’t even think about it. The only place I’ve ever heard that said is in court,” said Matty.

“So, you’re a royal?” asked Frank.

“I’m a Princess, okay?” admitted Foggy, sounding upset. “Youngest of six. The only thing I was ever supposed to do with my life was look pretty. I was never any good at that, but I was really good at the politics and arts stuff. Because that all boils down to stories. I love stories. But they tell you all these stories and then they never let you _go_ anywhere! Even if you go on a trade visit you go from your castle to their castle and back again. It’s so dull!”

“So you ran away?” asked Matt, seemingly taken aback by Foggy’s outburst.

“Your pretty,” said Frank at the same time. Matt and Foggy both turned toward him. “For a human,” he said gruffly, thankful that dragons don’t blush.

“Thanks,” said Foggy with a soft smile. “I ran because… they want me to get married. To Prince Marci of Stahl. I mean she’s great and all. But I’d be a Queen when Marci’s dad dies and then I’d have even less freedom. I just wanted to travel and see the places I’d heard about. Guess I wasn’t meant too.”

Matty pulled Foggy into a hug, Frank got up and dragged Foggy’s bedroll over next to his and Matt’s. 

“What are you doing?” asked Foggy, slightly muffed by Matt’s shoulder.

“Now everybody knows who everybody else is I don’t have to hear your teeth chatter all night.” He hesitated for a moment then pulled off his hood and cape draping it with Matty’s around Foggy’s shoulders. He didn’t look to see if Foggy was staring. Humans often found his more dragon-like attributes a bit off-putting. He started a little when he felt cold fingertips tracing the scales on the back of his neck.

“Sorry,” said Foggy snatching his hand back. “They’re pretty, I wanted to see if they were smooth.”

“It’s okay,” said Frank, swallowing past the lump in his throat.

“He likes it,” said Matty from somewhere behind Foggy, Frank couldn’t see him but he knew that tone. Matt was smirking. “What do they look like?” he asked.

“Shiny,” said Foggy. “Iridescent, like… like a dragon-fly’s wing.”

“Cool,” said Matt. 

“You’ve got actual wings,” said Foggy, voiced hushed like this was something amazing. “Can I touch…”

“Yes,” said Frank too quickly. He ignored Matt’s giggle behind them.

Frank stretched out his wings a little, they were stiff he hadn’t really stretched them properly while they’d been travelling with Foggy. Foggy smoothed the palm of his hand over Frank’s left wing. “They’re warm,” said Foggy. “Soft, in-between the bone. They feel delicate.”

“Stronger than they look,” muttered Matt, sounding sleepy.

“Can you fly?” asked Foggy still in that wondering tone. Like Frank was something special.

“Not very well in this form,” admitted Frank.

“Can I… can I see you the other way too,” asked Foggy it was almost a whisper. “Then I’ll go home and live the life I’m supposed too.”

“Sleeping now,” said Frank gruffly. Moving away from damned curious fingers and too pretty humans. 

They managed to curl up all three together. Foggy in the middle so he wouldn’t be cold. Matt leaned over Foggy and kissed Frank. “I do love you,” he said, it wasn’t something either of them said often. “I might wish different circumstances brought me here, but I’m glad that I am here.” This close even Frank could hear Foggy’s heartbeat racing between them. Matt kissed Foggy on the temple. “I’m glad I met you too, whatever happens.”

The two of them fell into sleep quite quickly. Frank listened as their breathing evened out and eventually matched. He wasn’t going to let either of them go. Not even if the whole of the kingdom of Nelson turned up on his door.

**

After the big reveal, Foggy had decided that he had to go home. He’d always known he couldn’t run forever. His mother, King Anna, would find him eventually. Then there could very easily be Nelson troops outside the wall, and he didn’t want to see how Frank reacted to that. He had never wanted to run away forever, just to prove that he could do something other than be a Princess. He’d always meant to go home and see his family again. He did love them.

It was just… he was maybe putting it off. 

Matty and Frank didn’t want him to go, so they didn’t bring up the subject again. Foggy let it slide. He could always make a start on leaving tomorrow. It didn’t have to be _today_. Mob was literally the last place anyone would look. He had time yet.

Days became weeks and weeks became months. It was wonderful and kind of torture too. Because nothing could change, they were all hanging on an edge afraid of falling if they let go.

Matt and Frank were together. Foggy had always known that. They would disappear off into the forest to ‘check the traps’. If one of them went alone they’d come back with a few rabbits or other small furry creature who’d wandered into the wrong patch of forest. If they went together they always came back empty handed. Foggy could work out what they were doing. (Especially as sometimes they didn’t go all that far out of camp, and Foggy had to sing to himself to avoid hearing what they were up to.) This would have been easier to take if they didn’t also insist on pulling Foggy into bed with them every night because it was ‘cold’. They never did anything, never pushed for anything. The most that happened was Matty or Frank would press a soft kiss to his temple or the side of his head. Foggy didn’t do anything, because he was always leaving… tomorrow.

Matt and Frank had stores scattered throughout the forest. Filled with skins and salted meats from the creatures they hunted. Every few week they would make a trip into the refugee village to trade. Although Matty seemed to give quite a lot of it away. During these trips Foggy realised how much Matty missed his home. He’d talk with other people from Murdock, he always went quiet and sad when anyone mentioned the things that were happening in Murdock. Matt had a few closer friends in town too. Claire, who Foggy thought probably knew the secret, and old priest from Murdock called Father Lantom. Frank didn’t seem to like anyone but he’d nod at Claire, and maybe exchange a few words with her. And Foggy saw him actually _smile_ at Father Lantom once. A proper smile too, not an I-find-you-amusing-please-look-at-my-teeth smile.

Matty’s other friend was a Knight called Karen. Apparently she’d come to Mob five years ago to kill a dragon and save a Princess. Or as Karen called it a ‘number 2b’. Foggy liked Karen she was funny, clever, pretty, and a Knight which always meant full of stories. 

Frank didn’t like her and the feeling was mutual. Karen tended to roam the woods hunting like Matt and Frank. She turned up in town occasionally, and once or twice their paths crossed in the forest. She used to be a Knight for the kingdom of Fisk, she said she preferred life here. The King of Fisk used to send her out on a lot of ‘number 5’s’ but she wouldn’t tell Foggy what they were. Foggy knew a lot of stories that Knights told. He also knew about the ones they didn’t tell. But there was always a whisper around court. A rival to one king or another who’s woken up one day to find themselves dead, and a knight with a little something gifted from the King. He could guess what a ‘number 5’ was.

More days and weeks went by, and Foggy was going home. Any day now. 

Foggy and Frank were sat on the bank just outside the village one day while Matt was running errands.

“You don’t have to stay here with me you could go and talk to people if you wanted. You like people,” said Frank. It would have been a bit more convincing if he wasn’t lay in a patch of sunlight with his head on Foggy’s lap and no clear intention of letting Foggy up.

Foggy was playing with Frank’s hair, occasionally rubbing at the base of one of his horns just to hear him sigh pleasantly. “I’m good here for a bit,” he replied. “Do you really hate people as much as you pretend to?”

Foggy wasn’t really expecting an answer, but Frank was lazy and pliable when he was happy and sunbathing. “We don’t really do this, dragons I mean.”

“How so?” asked Foggy, more just to keep the conversation going than any real desire to know. 

“Dragons don’t really do towns; it tends to be one dragon, one mountain. Or one small family group one mountain,” he said. Reaching back and moving Foggy’s hand back to one his horns.

Foggy chuckled and resumed rubbing idly at the base of that horn. “So how do dragons meet other dragons to form said small family groups?”

Frank shrugged. “Dragons sing. You sit on the top of a mountain and sing, if someone hears it and likes it, they might come say hello. Then you either get along and they stay or you fight and one of you leaves, or dies.”

Foggy snorted. “That sounds so much easier than court. There all these rules and etiquettes to follow, and probably just as much chance of death. Depending on who you’re playing against.”

“Etiquettes? Is that like that thing you say when you meet new people?” asked Frank.

“Honoured to make your acquaintance,” said Foggy blankly. “Yep, things like that. You never refer to someone else’s court as just a court, you call it ‘the great and noble court of’ wherever. And you say, ‘My loyalty to you’ when you’re introduced to the king.”

“What if you’re not loyal?” asked Frank.

Foggy grinned sharp and tight. “Then it’s even more important that you say it.”

“Humans are strange,” said Frank.

Foggy laughed. “Yes we are. My etiquette tutor used to say ‘it’s not about being polite, it’s about being able to fight without looking like you are’.”

“Matty doesn’t know all this stuff,” said Frank.

“Murdock is a small kingdom and they didn’t do a lot of trade before Prince Wilson took over,” explained Foggy with a shrug. “The court was probably small and informal. Also he hasn’t had to do any of it for 10 years.”

There was a rustling in the nearby bushes, Foggy went to move and pull Franks hood over his head. The majority of the people thought the dragon was asleep in the castle. Frank caught his wrist. “It’s okay, it’s only Matty.”

Matt appeared from the undergrowth a few moments later. He looked tired and sad, but he smiled at Foggy and Frank. “You know your spoiling the over-grown lizard, right,” he teased. 

Frank growled, but Matt sat down with them on the grass heavily and kissed Frank quickly on the lips. Foggy went to move away slightly but Frank grabbed his hand firmly and put it back on his head. 

Matt laughed. “You’re not going anywhere until the sun goes in.”

“Are you okay?” Foggy asked Matt.

Matt sighed. “There’s some more people arrived from Murdock. Claire’s trying to calm them down. They’re half convinced the dragon is going to swoop down in the night and eat them. As I left she was making them tea.”

Foggy winced. “Then they might wish the dragon had eaten them come morning.”

Frank snorted. “Why even come here if they’re so scared.”

“Prince Wilson tried to arrest them for not paying taxes. He knocked down their homes to build ‘better’ ones, and put the taxes up to do it,” said Matt sounding defeated. He looked down at Frank. “We should head up to the castle soon,” he said, changing the subject.

Frank tensed up under Foggy’s hand. “I’m fine. I’ll tell you when I need to go.”

Matt frowned at him. “The last time we went was over three months ago,” he said. “Are you sure?”

Frank stood up and walked away from them without a word.

“What was that?” asked Foggy shocked at the suddenness of Frank’s departure. 

Matt shrugged. “He’s a very old, very stubborn, lizard. I’ll find out later. There’s no point asking him now.” He flopped back into Franks place with his head in Foggy’s lap. “My turn,” he said with a smile. A don’t-make-me-talk-about-this-anymore smile. Foggy was getting good at deciphering their smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies this was supposed to be two chapters then it... grew. But three chapters, yes, definitely, three...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... yes... trying to finish this one, because I sort of love it. Even if it is a silly thing. If you read it when it was first posted you may remember it was started before season 2 aired. So that's why in this story Karen and Frank don't get on so well. But hey, it's a AU so... 
> 
> Also reading my notes from before I apparently once thought this would only be two chapters long... I laugh at the me from then.

Foggy went into town the next day, because Frank was right he did like people, it was one of the few things he missed about court life. There was always people to talk to, new faces to meet. The new refugees were scared, hiding, and thanks to Claire, mostly nursing epic hangovers, but Foggy was good at talking and people told him things. In the case of one young mother (Emma) and her five year old son (Ruben) they told him that a group of soldiers from Nelson had been visiting Murdock not long before they’d left. Rumour had it that one of the Princesses from Nelson had been kidnapped. 

Ruben said in a hushed tone, “I think the Dragon ‘ate him up!”

“Ruben!” exclaimed his mother. “Don’t make up stories like that. The Dragon is asleep.” She looked at Foggy nervously. “You live here, you’ve never seen it. Right?”

“What? Some kind of giant fire-breathing beast? No, never seen anything like that,” said Foggy. It was true, Frank wouldn’t show him his ‘dragon’ form, whenever Foggy tried to bring it up Frank changed the subject. “Maybe the Princess just ran away? Just for a little bit.”

Ruben scowled. “Why would a Princess run away? You get all the toys when you’re a Princess.”

“Right,” agreed Foggy trying not to let his panic show. The Royal Guard was as close as Murdock? They would be here soon. He was out of time. Emma chuckled and hugged her son. Foggy smiled weakly and made his excuses.

**

Matt laughed as Frank shoved him into the camp. Frank was grinning but trying to look like he wasn’t. Foggy’s heart hurt. He was going to miss them, but he didn’t have any other choices. He pulled the bag he was packing closed. 

“I thought you were spending the day in town,” said Matt, ducking behind Foggy as if Foggy could protect him from Frank.

“You’re packing,” said Frank frowning heavily. Matt stopped and turned his head slightly to the side, listening or smelling or whatever it was he did to know the things he knew.

“Your heart is racing,” said Matt. “What’s wrong?”

Foggy stared at his own feet, shifting the bag onto his shoulder. “I have to go. Soldiers from Nelson were at Murdock. Which means… it means they’re nearly here. I can’t risk staying here anymore.”

“You’re not leaving!” announced Frank like it was a royal decree. He pulled Foggy’s bag off his shoulder and threw it behind him. Foggy stepped back into Matt and was steadied by warm hands on his shoulders.

“Stop it,” Matt said firmly at Frank. “You’re scaring him.”

Frank took a deep breath and two steps back but he was still staring at Foggy. Foggy wasn’t scared of Frank, not really, but right now he could see how other people would be. “I can’t stay, they’ll come here.”

“We can keep you safe,” said Matt softly. Foggy shook his head.

“He’s not worried about that,” said Frank coldly. “He’s worried about _them_. What I might do to them.”

“I don’t want _anyone_ to get hurt because of me,” said Foggy hotly. “I don’t want people I grew up with to be burned alive. Or them to send the armies of the nine kingdoms against you. Or for them to take Matty back to Murdock. All because of me, because I ran away. I was too selfish to do what I should.”

“I fought armies before,” said Frank stubbornly.

“70 years ago,” countered Foggy. “And these aren’t bad people. Brett’s in the Royal Guard, we grew up together. His grandmother used to let me hide at her house when I was a kid and I wanted to get away from my lessons. She told me the best stories, the ones that weren’t suitable for Princesses. Would you kill Brett? Because I promise you that wouldn’t keep me here.”

“Foggy,” said Matt carefully. “You want to stay?”

“Yes,” said Foggy turning to Matt and wiping the tears that threatened to spill.

“We want you to stay too,” said Matt cupping Foggy’s face. “Please.”

Foggy forced the words out of a suddenly to tight throat. “If there was any way… but the price is too high Matty…”

Matt leaned in and kissed him and Foggy couldn’t help but kiss back. Even though he knew it would make this harder. He felt warmth along his back as Frank stepped up behind him. He hugged Foggy winding his arms between Matt and Foggy, he pushed his face into Foggy’s neck, kissing Foggy’s pulse point. Foggy felt too hot for the first time since he arrived.

Matt pulled away enough to whisper against Foggy’s lips. “Stay ‘til tomorrow. Please.”

Foggy nodded, both Matt and Frank pressed closer. He had to leave, but it didn’t have to be tonight.

**

“Is he asleep?” asked Frank.

“No-one snores like that when they’re awake,” said Matt grinning into the dark. 

“He’s leaving,” said Frank the arm he had draped over Foggy’s waist tightened slightly. 

Matt wound his fingers with Franks where they rested on Foggy’s stomach. “He thinks he has to,” said Matt. 

“What if we all left,” said Frank. “We could go further into the mountains.”

“Foggy and I are human. We wouldn’t survive up there long,” said Matt sadly. 

Frank hid his face in Foggy’s hair. “I didn’t want him, or you. I was planning on being alone.”

Matt didn’t say anything he just held on to them both as tight as he dared.

**

Matt was woken the next morning by Foggy trying to carefully detangle himself from between Matt and Frank. 

“Come on you overgrown lizard… let me go…” Foggy was mumbling to himself, trying to gently pull free of Franks arms while being hampered by Matt being pressed up against his front. Matt smiled to himself hearing Foggy use the nickname Matt had coined for Frank.

“In a hurry to get going?” asked Matt softly, he was aiming for joking but his voice sounded sad.

“No,” said Foggy and Matt could hear the truth in his heartbeat and his breathing. Feel it in every line of the other man’s body. “No, I don’t want to. But I do still have to. But there’s something else I have to do first. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before!”

“It’s too early,” groused Frank without opening his eyes. “Go back to sleep it’s not morning yet.”

“We have to get to the castle!” said Foggy earnestly.

“That’s further into Mob,” said Matt, confused. He sat up and Foggy manged to pull himself out of the bedroll. “I thought you said you have to leave.”

“I do, but I know a way that everyone can be safe. No-one will ever come after Frank again. Maybe if we’re clever enough we can even use it to kick Fisk out of Murdock and all the people will be safe. That’s worth a trip out to the castle, right? I mean maybe I can’t be a knight. But I could save you anyway. Both of you.” Foggy was packing up the camp as he was talking. 

“I didn’t know we needed saving,” said Frank gruffly, turning towards Matt but Matt would bet still refusing to open his eyes

Matt shrugged. “Its three days travel to the castle. Three days back to here, another two days to the wall. This way we get to keep him a bit longer I guess? You should have gone to the castle weeks ago anyway. You know it doesn’t do you good to keep this shape too long, it must be hurting by now.”

Foggy stopped in his tracks. “You’re hurting?”

Frank glared at Matt.

“He’s glaring at you,” narrated Foggy.

“I guessed,” said Matt. He stood up and gently took the bag out of Foggy’s hand. “We’ll go to the castle, do whatever it is you want to do and Frank can… stretch his wings… so to speak.”

Foggy turned to Frank. “I… did you not want me to see? Because I could just… not look. I know I said I wanted to, but you shouldn’t hurt yourself, you could have just asked me to go stay with Claire, or Karen for a bit…”

Matt didn’t think Foggy could hear the low growl from the bottom of Frank’s throat at the thought of Foggy staying with Karen. Matt turned his head quickly, hopefully he managed to hide the smirk. “You said you’d go,” said Frank finally standing and starting the process of packing up the bedroll. “You said you’d see me as I am, a dragon, and then you’d ‘go live the life you were supposed to’. I didn’t want you to leave.”

Matt sighed, it was strange sometimes just how literal Frank could be. 

“You shouldn’t _hurt_ yourself because of me,” said Foggy stubbornly. He knelt next to Frank and hesitated. Matt could hear Foggy heart beating quicker than normal, his breathing stopped for a split second, he wanted to reach out, maybe kiss Frank. ‘You have to do it,’ thought Matt. ‘He’s a stupid over-grown lizard and he _won’t_ ’. Matt wanted to go over to them, but he couldn’t either. Maybe he was the stupid one.

Frank flinched when Foggy held his hand. “It doesn’t hurt,” said Frank. He didn’t say, _”Not like watching you go will.”_ But Matt thought he could hear it anyway.

Foggy pulled Frank to his feet. “Come on,” he said. “We need to make it to the castle.”

**

_Theykissedmethey **both** kissedmetheykissedme_, was going round on a loop in Foggy’s head. He wanted… but it didn’t matter. Get to the castle. That was the important thing. If he could pull this off they would both be as safe as he could make them. 

“Why do you have to go back?” asked Frank as they were walking.

Foggy sighed. “Frank, I explained…”

Frank shook his head. “I’m not trying to fight, I don’t understand, humans make no sense. Can’t you just tell your family you want to stay here?”

Foggy glanced at Frank, he looked honestly confused. Matt snorted, “Good luck explaining court life. I lived it and I still don’t get it.”

Foggy sighed, “I was betrothed to Prince Marci when I was a kid. We’re about the same age. Our parents made sure we spent time together. If we’d hated each other they would have called it off. But I don’t hate Marci, she’s great, I mean terrifying but still… actually you’d probably like her. Or you’d kill each other.” 

Foggy grinned up at him and Frank felt himself growling low in his throat. He most certainly did not like this ‘Marci’ person. Matt bumped him. It was a warning, Matt didn’t bump into things unless he meant too.

“I actually didn’t mind that part. Marci’s… I could have married her and been happy, I guess. It would mean stronger ties between Nelson and Stahl. That would make both kingdoms stronger, keep our people safer. Kingdoms like Hand and Fisk are always looking to expand, even Owsley, Langham and Zach are dangerous. Plus it means that I’d eventually be Queen. I know my parents want that for me. Not just the youngest Princess anymore,” Foggy’s voice sounded strange. 

Frank wasn’t always the best at reading human’s but this almost sounded like the song of a really old dragon. One who knew he wasn’t going to survive the next fight but wasn’t scared of losing anymore. “So why run away in the first place?” asked Frank.

Foggy looked at his own feet. “I… wanted to see what else I could be I guess. I grew up on stories of knights and excitement. Trade agreements and diplomacy didn’t look all that good in comparison.”

Frank huffed, “Humans are ridiculous.” 

Foggy stopped walking and turned to look Frank in the eye. “I’m not sorry I did it. I got to see loads of stuff. Got to meet actual people, got to meet the two of you. It’s been amazing,” he smiled brightly. “And I get to save you.”

“A number 2,” said Matt with a chuckle. “That’s what Karen calls saving a Princess.”

Foggy laughed. “I’m going to have to ask her what saving a Dragon is.”

Frank swallowed back the first thing he wanted to say. “You are both soft in the head,” he said gruffly instead. He pushed a heavy branch out of the way and motioned them to pass through. 

**

It took a little over two days to get to the old city. The landscape changed from forest to broken buildings made from the reddish brown brick that was characteristic of Mob. The forest was trying it’s best to overgrow it. Foggy got the feeling the city was fighting back. The castle stood above it all. It was black and imposing, especially framed against the sunset, it was hard to imagine this was ever a real city where people just lived and did everyday things. It seemed too dark and oppressive for that. The closer they got to centre the more scorch marks could be seen, some of the buildings were just… flattened. Foggy tried not to look into the shadows too closely (he knew there were bones there, he’d seen them, he just didn’t want to admit it). He felt a little sick. He tried not to look at Frank, but he kept sneaking glances at the dragon. Matt must have been listening to Foggy’s heartbeat or something because he wrapped an arm around Foggy’s waist. He pulled Foggy into his side.

“Yes,” said Frank into the heavy silence. “I did this.”

“They killed your family,” said Matt flatly. 

“Not all of them,” said Foggy softly. (He didn’t really mean for Frank to hear him, but of course he did).

“No,” he said his voice as flat as Matt’s. “But I didn’t understand that then. I’d never even met a human before they came onto my mountain looking for gold.”

Foggy didn’t know what to say to that. He pressed a little harder into Matt’s side. 

“You’re helping people now,” said Matt. “Without a place to run to Fisk would have destroyed all the people in town. Claire, Father Lantom, even Karen. Working for Fisk was killing her, even if she doesn’t admit it. Me, I would probably be dead without this place. You.”

Matt was talking to Frank but Foggy knew the words were meant for him to hear, Frank didn’t even look like he was listening. “Can we make it to the castle by night time?” he asked instead.

“Yeah,” said Frank. “No problem.”

The castle wasn’t anymore friendly close up. It was huge. “What is this even built from?” asked Foggy in a hushed whisper.

“Stone from the mountains,” said Frank. “It’s strong. I was stronger.”

“I guess it looks impressive?” asked Matt.

“Yeah Matty,” said Foggy. “I mean it’s probably looked better? About half of it is rubble now. But it’s just… huge, and really black. It kinda looms over everything.”

“The big room is still standing, I can change in there,” said Frank. “Matty?”

“Yeah,” said Matt pulling a face. “We’ll set up camp in the usual place, we’ll come find you in the morning.”

“I thought… never mind…” said Foggy.

“I don’t mind you seeing me in either shape,” said Frank. “And you can stay if you want. But the change is a bit rough on humans I think.”

“It’s horrible,” said Matt. “I stayed the first time, I heard bones break and flesh tear. I’m going to bet it doesn’t _look_ good either.” 

Foggy went with Matt, the usual place turned out to be an old building a few streets away. It was mostly intact and someone (most likely Matt) had cleaned it out. Foggy unpacked the gear and Matt made a mess of lighting the fire.

“Don’t get much practice with Frank around,” he said self-depreciating.

Foggy smiled, but didn’t say much.

“You’re quiet,” noted Matt. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” said Foggy. “I just… this used to be a _city_ with people. Before I saw it, it was just a story. The ‘lost’ kingdom. But it wasn’t lost, it was destroyed.”

“Too much for you?” asked Matt he sounded like the answer was important to him, even though he made it sound like a casual question.

“I don’t know,” said Foggy honestly. “I don’t think it matters, I have to leave anyway.”

Matt’s face went stony. “Yes, I guess you do.”

“I don’t want too, I still… don’t want too,” said Foggy softly

Matt gently tugged Foggy so that they were both sitting on the bedroll. He wrapped his arms round Foggy and held on until Foggy relaxed. “What’s your clever plan?” asked Matt, breath hot against Foggy’s ear. Foggy shivered.

“I need to find the throne room first,” said Foggy. “Then I’ll tell you the plan.”

Before Matt could answer Foggy felt him suddenly stiffen, his face went pale.

“What’s wrong?” asked Foggy.

“Frank’s changing,” said Matt sadly. “It always sounds like it must hurt. But he says it doesn’t.”

“You can still hear it here?” asked Foggy turning in Matt’s arms.

“I need to stay close enough, in case he needs help. Don’t tell him, he thinks I go further out,” said Matt. He dropped his face into the crook of Foggy’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re with me this time,” he whispered.

“Me too,” said Foggy, reaching up to stoke Matt’s hair.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Foggy has a plan. And Frank is an _actual dragon_.

Foggy woke up before Matt, which hardly ever happened. He stared up at the ruined ceiling. It was strange how weird it felt to be sleeping indoors, and without Frank. Soon, too soon, he’d be back in a palace, without Matt or Frank. 

He couldn’t even imagine it. 

Matt stirred, shifting against Foggy’s side. Foggy was suddenly mad at Matt’s Dad. King Jack was pretty famous for dismissing court politics. Relying of the strength of his knights to keep Murdock safe. If he had just played the game a little more maybe the other kingdoms would have looked into his death, or at least been more inclined to accept Matt’s claim on the throne. Matt and Foggy were about the same age, maybe they would have met a lot sooner if King Jack had attended more Royal invitations.

But then maybe neither of them would have had a reason to meet Frank. 

“Morning,” said Matt sleepily.

“Morning,” answered Foggy, leaning over to kiss Matt chastely on the lips.

The grin that spread across Matt’s face was like the sun rising. “What was that for?”

“I’m glad I met you. Both of you. Even after seeing all this, I…” Foggy trailed off. There was a few moments of silence. It felt important but Foggy didn’t know what to say. Maybe Matt didn’t either. “We should go find Frank,” said Foggy instead.

Matt stood and held out a hand to pull Foggy up. “Ready to see a real dragon?” he asked with a forced smile.

**

The castle of Mob didn’t look any less imposing in the pale morning light. It seemed to still be wrapped in shadow, just different ones to go with the different light. The main gates were scorched but mostly intact. The outer walls of the castle had generally stood up well to Frank’s attack all those years ago, at least the ones of the ground floor. The roofs however had been another story. There were barely any left intact, and large chunks of the first and second floors that were just… gone. Matt led Foggy through the rubble to the “big room” Frank mentioned. It turned out to be an impressively sized ballroom. It had been situated on the ground floor. There was a grand staircase at the back of the room that lead to… nothing. Frank must have just knocked the floors above it away. There was no celling, the whole room was open to the sky, soft morning light illuminating… a dragon. An honest to goodness _dragon_. 

Frank was… amazing. The most _awesome_ thing that Foggy had ever seen. He was curled around himself, sleeping, he filled the whole room, his head tucked into his body to save space. His head was roughly the same size as Foggy. The iridescent scales that were so pretty on the back of Frank’s neck when he was human shaped were now… well, still pretty if Foggy was honest… thicker, darker, nearly the same black as the polished stone the castle but with the same iridescent rainbows dancing across the surface. They were closely packed some of them as large as dinner plates, locked together all over Frank’s body, well at least all of it Foggy could see. 

“How’s he look?” asked Matt with a smirk.

“Pretty impressive,” said Foggy honestly.

“He thought you might be scared, but you don’t sound too scared,” said Matt his tone light but Foggy knew him well enough now to hear the worry underneath.

“I… it’s still Frank,” said Foggy struggling to put his feelings into words. “I worry he might hurt other people, and that other people might hurt him. But I know he wouldn’t hurt us.”

Matt moved towards Foggy slightly, then stopped himself. “He’ll probably sleep all day, the change tires him out. Then he’ll fly, usually out towards the mountains. He stays away for a couple of days. Then he comes back,” Matt explained with a smile.

“Is he different, I mean to you… to however it is you perceive… things?” asked Foggy. Finding the right words was difficult.

“He smells the same,” said Matt with a shrug. “I can tell he’s bigger, a different shape. But he smells the same. He’s still runs a bit hotter than humans. He’s still Frank.”

Foggy stood and stared for a while, before shaking himself out of it. “We need to find the treasure room,” he said as firmly as he could manage. Making his feet take him away from the sleeping dragon.

**

It took most of the day to find it. Turns out the King of Mob had been a paranoid man. The treasure room had not been where Foggy had expected (most castles in Foggy’s experience tended to be laid out in much the same way, and he’d been to a few during his life). As it was he doesn’t think he would have found it without Matt’s hearing. Tapping on the back wall of a non-descript basement room Matt could apparently hear the echo of the staircase behind. Matt found the trigger to open the secret compartment. Then Foggy reminded him that, Foggy at least, would need some kind of lantern. So they had to go back to the campsite to get one. 

Foggy stood at the top of the cobweb infested, dark, narrow staircase, holding a lantern that they had brought just for him. Matt didn’t need one for the obvious reasons and Frank’s night vision was far better than a human. The flint Foggy used to light it was Foggy’s too. He’d swapped it with Karen for some rabbits he’d caught himself. He’d been proud of that. He suddenly realised that even though he’d always told himself he was leaving, he’d managed to build a life here. Matt slipped his hand into Foggy’s spare one.

“Ready?” he asked softly. 

Foggy nodded. “I nodded, sorry. I…” He took a deep breath. “Okay let’s do this… You’ll defend me from the spiders’, right?”

Matt chuckled. “Sure thing, Princess.”

Matt held onto Foggy’s hand as they walked down the stone spiral. It went down a long way. That was good, it meant it would have been protected from Franks attack all those years ago. More chance of finding what Foggy needed undamaged. He allowed himself a few moments of doubt. He hoped he could pull this off. He needed to protect Matt and Frank. Even though it was strange to think of the giant sleeping dragon upstairs as needing protection. 

The staircase lead into another room. “It’s huge,” said Matt but Foggy couldn’t see past the edges of the light from his lantern. There was a torch just inside the doorway. Foggy used his flint to light it. There was a faint ‘whoosh’ as the torch caught and then triggered a set of a chain reactions that lit torches spaced evenly around the room. The light was reflected off of a thousand golden surfaces. The treasure room was huge, stretching out over a massive space but with low ceilings, there was barely any space between the top of Foggy’s head and the celling. It felt like a dungeon, except it was full of coins and other golden items. Most probably made from gold taken from Frank’s mountain.

“Wow,” said Foggy under his breath. “That’s… a lot of gold.”

“Mob must have been nearly as rich as Ulric,” agreed Matt.

“Okay,” said Foggy taking a deep breath. Trying not to look to closely into any shadows, the spiders that made those webs had obviously gone on a nice long holiday, far away from here. “We need to find the crown.”

Matt frowned. “Wouldn’t the king have been wearing it? When Frank… when he died?”

“No,” Foggy shook his head. “Not whatever crown he wore every day. Those tend to be made for each ruler. If they even wear one. I know King Ben of Ulric doesn’t. I mean the _crown_ the one they use for ceremonies, the one handed down from King to King.”

“Right, Dad had one. It was locked away, but he showed me once, when I was little. How does the crown help us?” asked Matt looking confused. 

“Let’s just find it,” said Foggy. “The plan won’t work if we can’t.”

It turned out Matt wasn’t much help in this part of the search. His senses didn’t really run to picking one round gold object from another. And the King of Mob seemed to have had a great many round gold objects about the same size as a crown. It took a few hours (the room was huge and nothing seemed to be in any kind of order, everything almost looked dumped) but finally Foggy found it. It a glass case towards the back of the room. A large ornate thing, set with garnets so dark they looked like blood. 

“Well, that is kind of intimidating,” admitted Foggy standing in front of the case. “Just like the castle.”

“Is that it?” asked Matt, “Finally!”

“We just need to find a way to open this case,” said Foggy distractedly, running a hand over the edges, trying to find a clasp.

“It’s glass, right?” said Matt. “It sounds like glass.”

“How does it sound like glass?” asked Foggy turning to look a Matt who had a small gold bar in one hand and was wrapping it and his hand in his cloak.

“The way sound bounces off it is different to stone, or gold, stand back,” Matt grinned.

“Matty no…” said Foggy but he stepped back. Matt hit the case and the glass shattered. 

“Done,” said Matt, satisfied grin in place. 

Foggy glared at him, even though he knew Matt would necessarily notice. Matt brushed the broken glass off the crown and picked it up. 

“It’s heavy,” said Matt, “and kind of ornate. Dad’s official crown was just a circle with one ruby set in the front.”

“It’s not as bad as Owlsley’s,” said Foggy, taking the crown from Matt and slipping it into to bag he’d brought with him.

“You said this would help us, but I don’t see how…” Matt started. Then he stopped suddenly. “Franks waking up.”

“You can tell that from here?” asked Foggy, surprised.

“I can hear his heartbeat from a long way off, because it’s familiar I guess,” shrugged Matt. “And I’m concentrating.”

“Right then,” said Foggy, swinging the bag onto his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

**

Frank stirred, he felt a little groggy, he ignored muscles that where complaining about him spending too long in his other form. He listened, it was quiet here. The whole place was a graveyard. One he’d made to try and make up for the graveyard the humans had made of his mountain. He’d never been ashamed of that. Still wasn’t… but… it was unsettling, having Foggy see it. To realise that some of the humans here might have been like Foggy, or Matt, or Claire, even Karen. Back then he didn’t know any humans with _names_.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sounds of humans climbing out of the ruins. Two, which meant Foggy was still here. He hadn’t run away. A tension Frank hadn’t known he was carrying in his chest melted away. Matt and Foggy came closer.

“Finally awake, huh?” asked Matt. It was hard to read human expressions like this. But Frank was pretty sure he was grinning.

Frank let the rumble out of his throat, getting used to different vocal chords not really designed for human language. “Brat,” he managed, hopefully the fond tone he was aiming for was transferred to the humans. He was trying to be quiet, but Foggy took an involuntary half step back.

Matt steadied the other human. “It’s okay, it’s just Frank. Only… more so.”

Foggy shook his head. “I know,” he replied. Frank wished he could understand Foggy’s expression better right now.

“I… wanted to…,” said Frank, as quietly as he could, struggling with human meaning. “I need to fly, stretch my wings. But I could sing for you, if you wanted?”

Matt smile was huge even to the dragon. And Foggy spoke with something that sounded like hushed awe. “I would be honoured to hear your words.”

It sounded like one of his overly polite court phrases, but it made Frank feel a little warmer anyway. He stood on his four legs, carefully stretching out his wings, slight pain then blessed relief to finally have them stretched out. 

“Wow,” said Foggy.

“You’re showing off, aren’t you? You overgrown lizard,” said Matt, knowing Matt it was probably a joke. Frank angled and flapped one wing just so, the down draft making Matt stumble slightly. Matt just laughed.

Frank jumped into the air, beating his wings to gain height. He swooped in a lazy, wide, circle around the castle, landing carefully on the one tower that was still intact. He searched and found Matt and Foggy, they had climbed what was left of the ballroom staircase. Foggy was waving at him. Frank took a deep breath and… sang…

He meant to sing one of the old legends. One of the really _old_ ones, he knew Foggy would love that. But when he opened his mouth all that came out was his own song. The song of his life. Something he thought he’d never sing again.

**

Foggy had heard all the stories. All the contradictions, and outright fiction. Frank had told him about some of the truth of it. But nothing was like hearing it for yourself.

Dragon sang in an old language, older than humans. Frank had said that was true. He hadn’t told Foggy just how beautiful it was though. Matt stood behind Foggy and wrapped his arms round Foggy’s waist as the sound washed over them. Deep, complicated syllables, they varied in pitch and tone. Making Foggy feel incredibly happy and incredibly sad in turns. Sadness that turned to rage, something that was still beautiful in its way but almost painful to listen to. Raw and full of anger.

Dragons sang to bewitch humans. Frank was very clear that this wasn’t true, in fact he was very indignant about it. But right this moment as Foggy felt tears in his eyes, and the wetness on Matt’s face as he buried it in the junction of Foggy’s shoulder and neck, as the song twisted and changed again, taking Foggy’s heart with it. Foggy felt like that might not be _the reason_ that dragons sang, but it was certainly _an effect_. Or at least an effect of Frank’s song. Foggy was grateful for it, and for the warmth of Matt behind him. 

Dragons sang to tell their stories, and keep the old tales alive. It had actually been Frank who’d told Foggy that. Told him that some of the songs went back thousands of years, but this didn’t feel old. It felt important. Relevant. Vital.

“He’s singing his own song, isn’t he?” asked Matt into Foggy’s ear. 

Foggy shivered. “Yes, I think so,” he replied.

“I really love him,” whispered Matt. “I love you too. I…” He pushed his face back into Foggy’s neck. 

Foggy lent back into Matt. Listening to Frank’s song. They were going to be safe these two. Maybe this was what Foggy came here for. To make them safe. He’d have to explain the plan, when Frank got back. Foggy had the feeling they weren’t going to like it, Matt didn’t like court politics and Frank didn’t understand it. But playing the game was important. Frank might be a big scary dragon who’d destroyed a kingdom years ago. But there were nine more kingdoms out there, with armies and bran new weapons. Refugees kept running here, the army of Nelson was on its way. When Fisk, the Hand, Owslely, even Langham and Zach remembered about the mountain and the gold, they would come after it. Prince Wilson would come after Matt, men like that had pride and status to uphold. They needed allies to keep all the threats at bay. Foggy knew how to play the game to get them those allies.

He could do that. Before he had to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god Foggy! Tell them the plan already! Honestly the Foggy in this story is driving me nuts.
> 
> Okay one (maybe two) more chapter(s) I swear.


End file.
